Electric sign.



F. D. AMMEN. ELEOTBIC SIGN.

APPLIOATIOI rmzv rms, 190e.

' 927,018. 4 Patented July 6,- 1909.

WIT/(8858:

fw f/ 'i nvm/mn FRANCIS D. AMMEN,

PATENT oEEIoE.

or NEW Yoan, N. Y.

ELECTRIC SIGN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jury e, 190e.

Application filed February 8, 1908,. Serial No. 414,972.

. To all whom it lmay con cern:

Beit known that I, linANoIs 1). AMMEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful improvement in Electric Signs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to signs and especially to electric signs, such as used for advertising purposes. o

The ob'ect of the invention is to produce a sign giving a novel effect and which will arrest the attention of passcrsby and fix the advertised article upon the memory.

More specifically the object of the invention is to produce the light efl'ects of a collision to attract the attention.

The accompanying drawing diagrammatically illustrates my invention.

Referring more particularly to thc parts, 1,-

1, etc. represent a plurality of electric lights arranged in a horizontal row. T he light on the eXtreme right is in parallel circuit with the light on the extreme left through branch wires 2, 2; the light next to the one at the cxtreme riglft is likewiseI connected in parallel with the next light to the left end by suitable branch conductors 3, 3; similar branch conductors 4., 41 connect all the remaining lights in parallel and in,X opposite pairs, the members of each pair' being equidistant from a centralpoint 5. The conductors 2, 2 ecnnect with a conductor 6; the conductors 3, 3 connect with a conductor 7, and` all the other conductorsl, 4 similarly connect with conductors 8 4as branches. Many oftliese wires are not completely shown in order to make the drawing clearer. These conductors 6, 7, 8, S, 8, etc., are all connected, respectively, as shown, with a plurality of contact points or contacts a a a3 etc. to a20 arranged upon a contact dial or circuit maker 9, as indicated. After passing through the lights 1, 1, etc., the conductors 2, 3, 4, 4, etc., all connect to a main return Wire 10, which extends alongthe row of lights and connects with a battery 11;

' .the opposite'terminal of the battery is connected by a conductor orwire 12 with the gshaft 13v or pivot of a rotating contact arm 5,0.`

contacts a. a2, etc., it closes 14. When the arm is touching any of the a circuit through the corresponding llghts. The arm 1s wide enough to cover several of the contacts, so that when the arm is on the" contacts, several lights forming a short band will be'lighted at the right, and a corresponding band at an equal distance from the center' will a pear at the left. As the arm rotates in the irection of the arrow, these'bands of light will appear arrangedv progressively nearer and nearer together 1n angular arrangement about the bands of light ap roach each other continually increases. n this way, the bands of light appear to rush together and collide at the central point 5, where they become suppressed.

Near the point 5, I provide a cluster of lights 15 which arearranged in sections or branch circuits b b2, etc. to bs, and the lights are arranged substantially in imaginary radical lines, extending from the point 5. These branches b b2, etc., lead respectively from contact points or contacts c c2, c, ctc. to e arranged as shown on the aforesaid contact dial 9. At the other side the branches b b2 etc. connect with the main return wire 16 which leads to the wirc 10 and back to the battery 11. As the arm 14 leaves the contact aft the contacts c', c'--, etc. are passed in succession,

light sections b, b2, b3, etc. in succession; the contacts c', c, etc. are e uidistant sufficiently so that as the lights o one branch become suppressed, the lights of the next branch appear, and so on. As the lights are arranged in substantially radial lines, lighting the lights in the manner described gives the efiect of lighted points or sparks fl ing out Jfrom a central point. This effect ollowing immediately upon that of' the apparent impact of the two 4 of a collision with debris andsparks flying in all directions from the Vpoint of collision. After the arm 14 leaves the last contact es all these light-bands approach each other at a high speed, .apparently collide andv become to rush toward each other; the contacts arey center 13, so that the speed at which the.v

closing circuits through the branches or` bands of light gives theefectl becomes dark until the arm strikes a segment o tance from and rapidly approaching a meetino point thereby producing the effect of a collisionpf lighted point-s appioaching each other, and means for making a sudden display of lights at the point of meeting, thereby producing the effect of an explosion at that point;

2. A series of lights, means for successively lighting and extinguishing the units of the series of lights beginning at points at a distance from and rapidly approaching a meeting point thereby producing the effect of a collision of lighted points ap roaching each other, andmeans for sudden y lighting the units of va plurality of series of lights, at fthe meeting oint, thereby producing the effect of an exp osion at the meeting point.

3. A series of lights, means for successively lighting and extinguishing the units of the series of lights beginning at points at a' distance from and rapidly approachinga meetinO point thereby producing the effect el." a collision of lighted points ap reaching each other, and means for sudden y lighting the units of a plurality of series of lights extending in dif-ferent directions at the meeting point, thereby producing the ell'ect of an explosion at the meeting point.

4. A series of lights, in a line, means for successively lighting and extinguishing the units of the series beginning at opposite ends and progressing in opposite directions toward a meeting point, thereby producing-theA effect of a collision of lighted points rapidly approaching each other, and means for inaking a sudden display of lights at the meeting point thereby producing the effect oi' an explosion at that point.

5.v Means for producing the light effect of a collision which consists of a plurality of series of lights extending outward from a point, means for rapidly `and successively lighting and extinguishing the units of said series whereby they apparently run toward and collide at that point, a plurality of normally suppressed lights .at said collision point ar'- rang'ed 1n sections about the meeting point,

and means 4for rendering said light sections and extinguishing several of said lights ol' said row successively, a plurality of lights arranged around the apparent meeting point of said lighted bands, and means for lighting said last .lights progressively outward in succession from said meeting point.

7. A sign having a row ol lights, means l'oil lighting said lights at opposite points onsaid row to form lightbands, means l'or apparently advancing said lightbands at a high speed to a meeting point by lighting and extinguishing the lights of the row successively, means for suppressing said lightbands by extinguishing the lights of the row at said meeting point, a cluster of lights arranged in substantially radial lines about said meeting point andmeans for lighting the lights of said cluster when said lightbands apparently meet.

'8. In an electric advertising device, a row ol' lights, means for maintaining lighted bands on said row by lighting some ol'l the units thereof, means for apparently advancing said lighted bands to a meetingpoint at a high speed by successively lighting and extinguishing units ol' said row oll lights, means l'or making a display of lights at said meeting point substantially simultaneously with the apparent meeting of' said bands ofl light., means [or suppressing said display, and a sign bearing a legend and means for lighting said sign.

9. In an electric advertising device, a row of lights, aI cluster of lights at a point on the length thereof, a contact device, a plurality 'of circuits from said contact device passing through said rows of lights, a plurality of circuits assing through said cluster of lights, a sign egend, a circuit passing through the same from said contact device, means i'or closing said circuits successively through said roW or" lights beginning with the outermost,

and means for closing the said circuits through said cluster and through said sign legen FRANCIS D. AMMEN.

Witnesses:

CHAs. I. EARLL, C. A. CoUTAN. 

